Forget the drive-thru, now you can eat your Big Mac and fries at a McDonald’s restaurant on this decommissioned aircraft.
For the last 24 years the disused plane has abeen parked beside the McDonald’s restaurant in Taupo, New Zealand.
The DC-3 plane has been painted in traditional McDonald’s colours, with the company’s iconic lettering on the exterior, too.
The grounded passenger plane, with its refurbished red and silver interior and seating for 20, is very much a part of the restaurant and customers can enjoy their meal within the comfort of the cabin.
Eileen Byrne, the restaurant’s 59-year-old owner, says, “The site was previously part of a car dealership, and the owner bought a disused DC-3 plane, which sat alongside the building. And when McDonald’s purchased the site in 1990, the aeroplane came with it.”
Eileen said, “We have a locked clear perspex door, preventing access and to ensure that items, such as the knobs on the joystick, are not ‘removed for collection’ purposes. However, we are happy to open the cockpit for enthusiasts and to take photos for them. There is a storyboard which explains the plane’s history and photographs of her years in service. The plan was, and still is, to keep the appearance of the plane as original as possible.”
The plane, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, was built in 1943 and was one of three used by New Zealand’s South Pacific Airlines from 1961 to 1966. In 1971 it was renamed and used as a top-dressing plane, before being decommissioned in 1984.
After retiring from the skies the plane was placed in storage, having flown 56,282 hours during its working life.
忘掉汽車餐厅吧!现在你可以在这架退役飞机上的麦当劳里享用巨无霸和薯条啦!
过去24年里,这架废弃的飞机一直停在新西兰陶波的一家麦当劳旁边。
这架机型为DC-3的飞机被漆成了麦当劳的经典色,外面还写上了麦当劳的标志性字母。
这架停在地面的客机现在是麦当劳的一部分。它的内部被重新刷成了红色和银色,安置了20个座位,人们可以在舒适的机舱里享受他们的餐点。
这家麦当劳的主人,59岁的艾琳·伯恩说:“这个地方曾经是一家汽车专卖店,商店老板买下了停在大楼旁的退役的DC-3飞机。当麦当劳1990年买下这块地时,连带买下了这架飞机。”
艾琳说:“驾驶员座舱的透明玻璃门是上锁的,这是为了防止有人进来把里面如控制杆的把手等物品卸下来带回家收藏。但是,我们仍愿意为飞机爱好者打开舱门,并为他们拍照留念。同时,机舱里还有一个故事板,上面介绍了飞机的历史并展示其服役那些年的照片。这样做的目的就是尽量让这架飞机保持原样。”
这架道格拉斯DC-3飞机于1943年制造而成,是1961年至1966年新西兰南太平洋航空公司负责营运的三架飞机之一。1971年这架飞机被重新命名并用作施肥机,于1984年退役。
在经历了56282小时的飞行生涯后,这架退役飞机被妥善保管起来。